House of the Dragon is returning on June 16 immediately after a year and a half, and the hype is increasing. Given the train wreck that was Game of Thrones Season 7, a lot of fans had been understandably delighted to return to a version of Westeros much more like the show’s early seasons: effectively-crafted, smaller sized in scope, with a concentrate on political maneuvering rather than prophecies, armageddon, and rushed character improvement. Watching the vipers of House Targaryen scheme for energy, it turns out, is much more than seeing Arya (Maisie Williams) kill the Night King.

A important purpose for House of the Dragon‘s achievement is its writing. Drawing on George R.R. Martin‘s fictional history Fire &amp Blood, the writing employees (led by executive producers Ryan Condal and Sara Hess) have regularly created memorable but believable dialogue, along with stories that emerge organically from the characters, rather than feeling forced by plot necessities. As a outcome, the 1st season gave viewers a lot of fantastic quotes, which supply insight into a character, emphasize themes, or merely sound cool. Here are the greatest of them, ranked.

House of the Dragon

Release Date

August 21, 2022

Creator

Ryan J. Condal, George R.R. Martin

Main Genre

Drama

Seasons

2

Distributor

HBO

10 “You May Know What Is The Right Thing To Be Done, But Love Stays The Hand.”

Larys Strong, Episode 6

Ser Larys Strong (Matthew Needham) is a close confidant of Alicent (Olivia Cooke) who seems prepared to do her bidding no matter how bloody. In this episode, he even has his personal father killed on her orders by enlisting criminals to set fire to Harrenhal. Around the exact same time, he delivers 1 of the season’s finest monologues, in which he argues that really like is a stumbling block for these who want energy.

Larys reveals himself to be the arch-realist, operating according to cold energy calculations rather than feeling or affection. (This also signifies that Alicent need to be on guard, lest her enforcer’s allegiances 1 day shift as effectively.) Larys proves that this is not mere speak by taking the life of his personal kin. Rather than a weakness, he sees a lack of really like as a superpower. “Love is a downfall,” he says. “Best to make your way through life unencumbered if you ask me.” It’s a fantastic summary of the murderous ambition that drives most of HotD‘s characters.

9 “There Is No Power But What The People Allow You To Take.”

Mysaria, Episode 9

You do not get far in the Red Keep with out obtaining a sense of how the Game of Thrones is played, and Mysaria (Sonoya Mizuno) has utilised this information to rise larger than most. She started as a brothel dancer ahead of becoming Prince Daemon’s (Matt Smith) 1-time paramour. Thereafter, she established an substantial spy network in King’s Landing, earning her the moniker “the White Worm”. Alicent’s side is conscious of these informants, setting up future conflict.

Mysaria is as a result the show’s closet analog of Varys (Conleth Hill), the Master of Whispers. In this scene, she notes that wealth and influence are assured to no 1, regardless of their birth. In an atmosphere as cutthroat as the Targaryen court, 1 will have to zealously guard one’s position and fight to climb the ranks. Experience has taught her this, although for some of the other characters, it remains purely theoretical. Rhaenyra (Emma D’Arcy) and Daemon need to take heed of her words, as their enemies continue to sharpen their knives.

8 “You Desire Not To Be Free, But To Make A Window In The Wall Of Your Prison.”

Rhaenys, Episode 9

Episode 9 dealt with the fallout from King Viserys’s (Paddy Considine) death, with all sides plotting to get the benefit. Ser Otto and the Small Council conspire to crown Prince Aegon (Tom Glynn-Carney), punishing these who resist. They also debate irrespective of whether to imprison or exile Rhaenyra. Viserys’s cousin Rhaenys (Eve Best) is herself jailed for a time, although she sooner or later gets no cost and tends to make a dramatic exit on the back of her dragon, Meleys.

Earlier in the episode, when Alicent attempts to win her more than, Rhaenys offers the young queen a piece of her thoughts. She criticizes her plans as effectively as her character, saying that she does not have the mettle to succeed. In certain, Rhaenys says that Alicent is developing a mess for herself that will only backfire. More than that, she accuses the lady of not wanting accurate freedom at all. Perhaps Alicent fears what she has under no circumstances in fact possessed. It’s brutally truthful, although Alicent is unlikely to take note of it.

7 “We Play An Ugly Game. And Now, For The First Time, I See That You Have The Determination To Win It.”

Otto Hightower, Episode 7

Another contender for greatest schemer in the show is Ser Otto Hightower (Rhys Ifans), Viserys’s hand and Alicent’s father. He functions tirelessly to place Alicent’s son Aegon on the Iron Throne, prepared to jail or kill any person who stands in his way. Like a lot of of the Red Keep’s denizens, he justifies these bloody actions by claiming that it is merely the nature of the game. All’s fair in the war for dominance.

In this important scene, Otto recognizes that his daughter might be a chip off the old block. It’s not just parental bias: Alicent definitely does show herself to be a formidable foe. Indeed, her transformation from supportive pal to mini Cersei (Lena Headey) is outstanding. Here, Otto praises her fiery retaliation for her son Aemond (Ewan Mitchell)’s loss of an eye. She demands that Rhaenyra’s kid shed 1 as well. Although Alicent later regrets this blowup, Otto views it as proof that she’s challenging adequate to make it to the extremely top rated.

6 “This Is A Tragic World.”

Daemon, Episode 4

Episode 4 was a pivotal 1 for Rhaenyra and Daemon’s partnership. It sees the prince returning to King’s Landing immediately after his conquests in the Stepstones, pledging loyalty to Visery and seemingly displaying substantial development in maturity. Soon immediately after, he and Rhaenyra venture into the city, indulging in a play and a check out to a brothel. Their sojourn culminates in Daemon generating advances towards her, setting the stage for their later romance.

During a heartfelt conversation exactly where Rhaenyra expresses her apprehension about marriage due to her mother’s fate, Daemon gives comforting words, emphasizing the want to embrace life regardless of its tragedies. The line is neat, pithy, and accurate. He’s conscious of the discomfort of existence regardless of becoming highborn, Daemon is no pampered princeling. In other words, he reveals himself to be a worthy ally and confidant for Rhaenyra. It’ll be fascinating to see how the challenges they face in Season 2 test their bond.

5 “The Wise Sailor Flees The Storm As It Gathers.”

Laenor, Episode 6

Before marrying Daemon, Rhaenyra is wed to Ser Laenor Velaryon (John Macmillan), the son of Corlys (Steve Toussaint). However, Laenor is gay, and the show heavily implies that their youngsters had been in truth fathered by Ser Harwin Strong (Ryan Corr). This rumored illegitimacy becomes a essential plot point and a catalyst for significantly of the drama. As tensions escalate amongst Rhaenyra and Alicent, Laenor implores his wife to depart from the Red Keep, expressing concern for their family’s security amidst the escalating rivalry.

Rather than becoming cowardly, this quote in fact demonstrates Laenor’s astuteness. He properly recognizes the peril his household faces due to the conflict with Alicent and her allies. He’s no hotheaded Targaryen – when the writing’s on the wall, he requires note of it and plans accordingly, rather than going on the offensive. This statement also hints at Laenor’s eventual selection to feign his demise and flee, understanding it to be the greatest course of action for the family’s effectively-becoming.

4 “Now They See You As You Are.”

Rhaenyra, Episode 7

After the eye-slashing incident, Alicent is furious and unrestrained in a way she under no circumstances has been ahead of. A lifetime spent amongst royals with out becoming royal herself has taught her to mask her accurate feelings. However, in a parallel to Cersei, the assault of her kid ignites a fire in her. She requires Viserys’s dagger and attempts to attack Rhaenyra’s son Lucerys (Elliot Grihault), although Rhaenyra stops her. Rhaenyra then delivers this cold line, acknowledging that Alicent has betrayed her accurate colors.

After this scene, there can not be any reconciliation amongst the two characters. The exchange also emphasizes that the show’s central feud is not just a energy struggle. It’s deeply private, fueled by the enmity amongst these erstwhile close friends. Alicent is insecure, frightened that her position might be lost, and embittered by years in Rhaenyra’s shadow. As the knife incident reveals, these foibles make her capable of something, even the most vicious of acts. Season 2 will most likely see a lot of much more of them.

3 “Valyria is Gone. We Don’t Belong Anywhere.”

Daemon, Episode 6

Episode 6 readies the chessboard for the coming conflict. Alicent advises her son Aegon to prepare for a future dispute more than Rhaenyra’s claim to the throne, although Rhaenyra relocates her household to Dragonstone, away from the skullduggery of King’s Landing. The island of Dragonstone was the westernmost outpost of Valyria, household to dragonlords extended ahead of Aegon’s Conquest. This signifies it is the final geographical vestige of the Targaryens’ homeland.

This return prompts Daemon to reflect on his family’s spot in the planet. He says that the planet of the dragon riders is extended gone and that the Targaryens are lost and unmoored. They might rule Westeros but they do not belong there. This is evident in the shocked reaction to Daemon and Rhaenyra’s marriage. Marrying blood was commonplace in Valyria but it is now looked down upon in the Seven Kingdoms. It functions as a metaphor for the characters’ isolation, surrounded on all sides by enemies and false close friends.

2 “The Idea That We Control The Dragons Is An Illusion. They’re A Power Man Should Never Have Trifled With.”

Viserys, Episode 1

One of the most intriguing characters in Season 1 is King Viserys, wonderfully played by Considine. He’s a contradictory figure. On the 1 hand, he’s warm and friendly to his household on the other, he notoriously sacrifices his wife in the episode in pursuit of an heir. He can be weak and simply manipulated, or robust and decisive. At occasions, he appears like a foolish leader, but he also has moments of clarity and wisdom, like the scene exactly where he delivers this line.

Viserys is alone amongst the Targaryens in recognizing the danger of the dragons. The dragon riders pride themselves on becoming masters of the beasts, but the king knows that the creatures are beyond human manage. The line also feels like a broader comment on the Targaryens’ rule. They subdue Westeros by way of fire and blood, but their dominion is shaky at greatest. As Game of Thrones created clear, the royal family’s reign would finish in mayhem. Almost absolutely everyone who tries to muster the dragons winds up burned.

1 “I will not suffer crows come to feast on their corpses!”

Viserys, Episode 1

The opening episode is the most brutal, seeing the death of each Viserys’s wife and newborn son. Worst of all, Viserys is wracked by the guilt of obtaining sealed his queen’s fate. He’s devastated by this loss, major him to stand up to his advisors, who instantly start considering politically rather than paying the dead their due respect. It’s fantastic to see the king get feisty for when and place his foot down, even if it is far as well late to make any true distinction.

His line right here is poetic and effectively-written. It feels just about Shakespearean. Plus, the quote can be interpreted as a reference to the Game of Thrones book A Feast for Crows, which served as the basis for the fifth season of the original show. Fittingly, toward the finish of the episode, Viserys shares with Rhaenyra the extended-held royal secret: that the Long Night is imminent. It’s a fantastic callback to Game of Thrones, putting House of the Dragon inside a broader context, and teeing up future storylines. Hopefully, Season 2 delivers on this strong foundation.

House of the Dragon can be streamed on Max in the U.S.

Subsequent: Every Episode of ‘Baby Reindeer,’ Ranked